Gauff, Shelton Lead Florida’s Deep Talent Lineup at the 2026 US Open

August 28th, 2026

Pro Circuits / ITF Competitive Tennis
Gauff, Shelton Lead Florida’s Deep Talent Lineup at the 2026 US Open

The final Grand Slam of the year is here, and the Sunshine State will be well represented when the 2026 US Open main draw gets underway Sunday, August 30 at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows. From former champions to rising young stars to elite doubles specialists, USTA Florida athletes are spread across every draw in New York. 

Leading the way on the women’s side is Coco Gauff, who arrives in New York with momentum and a familiar sense of belonging. The Delray Beach native won this tournament in 2023 at just 19 years old and enters as the No. 4 seed after capturing the Cincinnati title in the lead-up. A two-time Singles Grand Slam champion with titles at the 2023 US Open and 2025 French Open, Gauff will once again be the American storyline that fills Arthur Ashe Stadium. 

Amanda Anisimova returns to Flushing Meadows with unfinished business. The Florida resident reached the US Open final last year and is seeded 10th this time around. After a season that saw her climb to a career-high world No. 3, Anisimova has proven she belongs among the elite on hard courts and will look to take the final step, lifting a Grand Slam trophy. 

Sloane Stephens brings championship pedigree back to the tournament where she made history. The Plantation native captured the 2017 US Open title in one of the more remarkable runs and her experience on the biggest stage in American tennis remains an asset every time she steps on court in Queens. 

Rounding out the Florida women’s side is Sofia Kenin, the Australian Open champion. Kenin knows what it takes to win a major and brings that experience to every match she plays. 

On the men’s side, Ben Shelton heads to New York as one of the top American hopes. The star enters as the No. 8 seed. Shelton has had a breakout 2026, capturing back-to-back Canada Masters 1000 titles and winning on all three surfaces, and he was recently named to the U.S. Davis Cup Team for its Second-Round Qualifier in September. 

Martin Damm Jr. continues to make his mark in his hometown state’s growing pipeline of talent. The 22-year-old, who stands 6-foot-8 and plays left-handed, reached a career-high singles ranking of No. 108 earlier this summer and has been steadily building on the promise he showed as a junior. 

Darwin Blanch rounds out the Florida men’s presence in the main draw. The young American, part of a talented tennis family developed in Florida, represents the next wave of homegrown talent making the jump to the sport’s biggest stages. 

Florida is also slated to be strongly represented in the doubles draws. Austin Krajicek, the Tampa native, former world No. 1 in doubles, 2023 French Open doubles champion and 2024 Olympic silver medalist, returns to Flushing Meadows. Christian Harrison, who moved to Florida at age 14 to train at IMG Academy in Bradenton, enters as the top-ranked American man in doubles and the reigning Australian Open doubles champion. 

On the women’s doubles side, Nicole Melichar-Martinez, a Bradenton resident and Wimbledon mixed doubles champion with 19 WTA doubles titles, will look to add another Grand Slam to her resume. The Doubles Draw officially comes out later this week.  

The 2026 US Open runs August 30 through September 13, with the women’s singles final on September 12 and the men’s singles final the following day. With Grand Slam champions, former finalists, rising stars, and elite doubles specialists all in the field, Florida’s representatives are ready to make their mark at the final major of the year.